Everything You Want
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Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is Rumiko Takahishi's. Ho hum.
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Ranma and Akane: Confrontations
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Akane watched Ryoga's retreating back with a heavy heart. 'He was one of my only true friends....' She shook her blue-black head sadly, but a sudden thought occurred to her. 'Ryoga always gets lost and ends up here. I can always talk to him when that happens.' Pleased that she had found a solution to her dilemma, all the emotion that had fueled her bled away, leaving the chocolate-eyed girl feeling drained and exhausted. And it didn't help matters that she had hardly gotten any restful sleep last night. Now the only problem she wanted to be confronted with was how she was going to get to her bed.
Genma guffawed, obviously happy. "See that, Tendo? I told you! Akane refused to marry Ryoga! She and Ranma are practically a couple now! It won't be long before they get married!"
Akane tiredly thought that there was no logic at all behind that reasoning, but her father seemed to agree with the spectacled man. Together, they strolled into the house singing joyously, presumably to drink sake. Kasumi followed them with a slightly dazed smile. "Oh my," she said genially. And, uncharacteristically enough, Nabiki still wasn't there.
With a slight groan, Akane turned around and was about follow Kasumi and the others inside when a voice stopped her.
"Yo, 'kane?"
Akane turned around slowly. "Yeah?"
"Hey, you seem kinda tired. Why? It's not like you were fighting Ryoga or nothin'. I usually do that." Ranma laughed shortly; the sound was forced, and had no humor within it.
Akane rolled her eyes mentally. Sure, she knew shouldn't expect anything less--well, more--from Ranma, but she had been hoping that he would actually say something intelligent for once. Starting to head off to into the house to her room, she halted once more when Ranma stopped her another time; this time Akane sensed something behind her shoulder. She turned her head around the tiniest bit, and saw that his hand was uselessly stretched out, perhaps to rest on her shoulder or something. "What, Ranma?" she asked lightly, but stared pointedly at the hand.
"I, uh, yeah," he said smartly, the offending hand quickly dashing behind his head to rest on his black hair confusedly.
'Dolt.' Akane sighed mentally. Her moments with Ranma were always like this- -coming so close, and then... then being pushed away again. And the most frustrating part was how he angered her yet made her feel so warm and content at the same time.
She was about to let another sigh come out for the entire world to hear when Ranma spoke for the third time. "Um, ya know...." He stopped again, much to Akane's extreme yet half-hearted annoyance.
Miffed, Akane stated--dully, with none of her usual temper-- "Ranma, if you want to say something, say it. I'm tired and I want to sleep."
"Uh...." Somewhat put out, Ranma hesitated, and finally said something that made sense. "Um, why did you, you know, say no?" He rushed the last bit of the sentence, obviously embarrassed. Akane could already see a light patch of red spread across both his cheeks.
Seeing Ranma blush was not something Akane was used to seeing. Sure, it happened almost all the time, but it still surprised her....
The petite girl couldn't help but wonder what had prompted such a question. Didn't she tell him yesterday? Why was he asking again? 'Oh well. Might as well tell him again.'
She gave him a wane smile, the second one today. "Ranma, you know. I told you yesterday, and the reason is still the same. I like him like a br-- "
Startled for a moment, she stopped. The heat from Ranma's blush was enough to give her sunburn. He was the color of his favorite shirt, and turning redder if possible. 'Ranma's normally not like this--if you could ever call him normal-- ' she grumbled, '--so what's eating him today?'
"Well, um, thanks. I... just wanted to know again. Just to make sure." Ranma continued to rub his unruly hair in an embarrassed sort of way. Akane smiled at him--not a weak smile, but a real smile, the kind that she wanted to show Ranma all the time instead of just occasionally. 'Whenever he does stuff like that, it's so funny....' She chuckled a little to herself, but her smile never once faded.
And she could have sworn that Ranma had skipped a breath. 'No, probably not. Just the delusions of an exhausted, high-school girl.' Akane just realized that she had that smile aimed at him for more than ten seconds, and blushed slightly. 'How embarrassing...! My face just froze in that smile!' So to save the situation, she babbled out the first thing that came to her mind. Unfortunately, she asked Ranma to come with her to the koi pond so they could talk. 'Akane, you dolt! You look so stupid right now!'
And it didn't help matters that Ranma agreed--with a smile of his own. Her heart fluttered like a bird greeting the first rays of sunlight, but she quelled the feeling by resolutely telling herself that this was just Ranma. Rude, annoying, stubborn, stupid Ranma. 'The same Ranma who calls me a macho chick. The same Ranma who calls me a gorilla. The same Ranma who never fails to rescue me....' Her inner-self snickered at her thought, but made no other comment.
The short-haired girl led the way to a place next to the pond hidden from the house by overgrown bushes. She plopped herself onto the ground as her legs started to sway. Hardly noticeable, even by herself. 'So of course Ranma hasn't noticed... just like he never notices the way I....' She shook her head, and proceeded to industriously pull off her shoes and socks. She dipped her weary feet into the pond, and relished the feel of the cool water gently rippling off her ankles. Her sudden movements frightened away the fish that were closest to them, and they swam away rapidly, the sun glinting off their red and silver scales. Her soft eyes followed the startled fish until they went deeper into the pond. She dared a glance back at Ranma, crouching beside her, who only was watching her soak her feet in the water wistfully. "I wish I could do that too," he sighed, "but I'd turn into a girl." Unable to think of a suitable response that wasn't insulting, Akane started to swish her legs back and forth in the pond's cool water.
"So," Ranma said, attempting to break the long and uncomfortable silence. "So, why did you call me here?"
She leaned back, looking into the nearly cloudless sky. It was a vibrant blue that seemed full of life, and despite the few clouds that roamed it restlessly, it was still beautiful. "Dunno. Just... oh, I don't know."
"Oh." She turned around to glance at him. He was gazing at the grass below him, not wanting to meet her eyes.
She sighed deeply, and went back to looking at the pond. Her conversations with Ranma were always like this. They'd have so many chances, but.... 'We just mess them up.' Uncomfortable thoughts, an uncomfortable silence, Akane had a sudden urge to say something to make all of them go away.
"I used to love it here at the koi pond," Akane said softly, not really thinking. "It was always so peaceful, so calm...." 'Like my life was before I met you, Ranma....'
"Until I came and ruined it, huh?" he replied, a bit bitterly, echoing her thoughts.
She made no reply. 'My life was ordered and calm, everything nearly perfect, except for a few things. Those boys chased me when I didn't want them to, Dr. Tofu liked--no, he loved! --Kasumi instead of me, Kuno always was trying to win a date with me.'
"Now, Pop and I are always falling in it, turning into our cursed forms in it, and generally messing it up."
'Then you and your father came. I'm suddenly told that I have a fiancé that I don't even know, and that we are going to be married. And then all these people showed up, all of them wanting one of two things: you or me. Actually one of three--some wanted one of us dead. That chaos... let's just say that it took a while to get used to. But... but some of the things that flawed my life... some things stopped when you came, like the boys chasing me, my crush on Dr. Tofu.... And some things, you helped me with, like dealing with Kuno. I'm sorry that I always yelled at you whenever you did help me.... I just never noticed that before.... In fact, I'm sorry that I yell at you at all....' Akane's thoughtful silence was heavy, weighing down on both of them.
"Look, Akane, I... I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the craziness I cause just by being here. I'm sorry for everything, Akane."
Akane looked back at him, her mouth slightly agape, in shock at the complete, sincere, and obviously painful apology she had just received. He looked dispirited, as if all the fire had been snuffed out of him. She had rarely ever seen him like that before, and seeing him like that now was heart-breaking. 'But... Ranma... I'm glad that you came into my life. Before you came, it was hollow. It was just gray, though at the time it had seemed wonderful. But now... now that I see how vibrant and colorful life with you is like, I never want to go back to the calm and order. Ranma....'
"Ranma...." The words fell from her mouth like stones into a pond. "Ranma, I don't mind the insanity you brought into my life. Just having you in my life is worth it."
Akane's mind suddenly blanked. 'No! What did I just say?! That sounded so stupid! Ranma's going to laugh at me, and then go pick Shampoo or Ukyo!' Her mind sprang back to life. 'Wait... what I just said... do I really love him?' And her heart replied with the most pleasant sensation she had ever felt in her entire life. 'Yes. Yes, you do!'
She blushed lightly, and tried to cover it by staring determinedly at her feet swishing hurriedly in the water, causing even more ripples. She didn't want to look at him, didn't want to see the mockery in his face, or the shock, or--worst of all--the disgust.
However Ranma had other ideas. One of his calloused thumbs found a place under her dainty chin, and turned her face towards him. And Akane could have cried at what she saw.
Surprise, and then, incredulous joy.
"D'you... d'you really mean that?"
She nodded her head. A shaky smile was on her face, and a few warm tears of happiness slid down her smooth cheeks.
Ranma gently cupped her face in one rough hand, and softly wiped away her tears with the other. "C'mon, don't cry now. Not when we're both so happy...."
Completely losing control of herself, she flung her arms around his neck and held him tightly, crying into his red shirt. He was surprised, but he embraced her back and held her close.
She couldn't comprehend how joyful she was, didn't realize how much she had wanted to get that out until now. At that moment, there was only her, Ranma, and the gentle rippling of the water against the edges of the koi pond.
When the black-haired girl was done crying herself out, she sat back on her haunches, blushing. Ranma looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face, and moved a little closer, with one arm stretched towards her. She moved to him as well, and they met with a kiss. At first, she was unaware of anything other than two things: one, that they were actually kissing without any wayward fiancés or exultant fathers barging in, and two, that the expression on his face was unquestionably love.
But then, when she melted into the kiss, she felt as if bright lights were going off all around them. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she was conscious only of the beating of both their hearts in time with each other. Once the kiss was finished, however--she realized something.
That there was another subtle sound during it, a sort of clicking. And that the lights weren't surrounding them, but coming from the direction opposite of the house. And that Ranma was staring at someplace behind her with an expression of disbelief. Akane turned around to see what he was looking at, and was just as surprised as Ranma was.
"Nabiki?!" they sputtered together.
"Yup, it's me," she said cheerily from behind another clump of vegetation, waving her camera around for emphasis. "And as you can see, I've brought some friends!" She gestured behind her, and all at once the entire student body of Furinkan High leaped up, covered in a stunned silence. How they all managed to fit in her yard, Akane had no idea, but she was filled with outrage.
"Nabiki, you, you, you--"
"Cheer up, Akane!" she said with a smirk. "I've earned enough money with this to send us all to college two times over!"
Akane was about to shout something angrily when Ranma interrupted. "Yo, Nabiki, where's Kuno? And where's Shampoo, and Cologne, and everyone else who's tried to kill us?"
"For once, Saotome, I decided to be nice to you. I spared letting them know." Nabiki would have said more, but the crowd drowned her out with shouts.
"Saotome, I didn't know you had it in you!"
"Wish I had a guy like that...."
"Akane! No! How could you pick Saotome?!"
"Why didn't you tell us before, man?!"
"Akane! Why didn't you say anything to us?"
"Ranma!"
"Akane!"
Akane clapped her hands to her ears, wanting desperately to be alone with Ranma again. And for once Ranma seemed to have noticed. He jumped to his feet, scooped Akane off, and before anyone knew what was happening, ran off with her in his strong arms, and seemed to leap into the sky, and landed on the rooftops. And he kept going. "Ranma, where are you going?" Akane asked, a little frantic.
"I dunno," Ranma replied honestly. "But don't worry, we'll be fine. I won't let you fall."
"I wasn't worried about that," Akane said softly. "I trust you with my life."
'After all, I've trusted you with my heart for this long....'
And together they ran. Where they were headed, they didn't know. But they would come back.
After a while.
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*surveys work* Hey, not too bad if I do say so myself! Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Early June, my parents told me I had to study ("In a year you'll be going to highschool where everyone is focused on college. We want you to have a head start." Feh, good intentions....), disconnected my computer, and stashed it in the basement. I've finally gotten it back! *hugs computer* I've been so out of things.... Oh well! At least it's finally finished (though it was finished in late May... I was just waiting for the &!@$# internet to come back up. I hate Comcast....).
I don't think I'll ever write a multi-chapter story again. It took so long with the *&$!# internet! One shots, those are much better, because there is no wondering what will happen next. And I've had many ideas for those! *pulls out piece of much-wrinkled paper and waves it enthusiastically* Just have to copy and save it on the computer! The pencil is starting to get faded and illegible....
Well, I am going to touch up all the chapters and fix things! My stupid Microsoft Word Program does things that I hadn't thought would affect it.... Also, I think I'll write another chapter, since a few have requested it, closing the Ryoga/Ukyo story. Well, off to work again.
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Disclaimer: Ranma ½ is Rumiko Takahishi's. Ho hum.
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Ranma and Akane: Confrontations
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Akane watched Ryoga's retreating back with a heavy heart. 'He was one of my only true friends....' She shook her blue-black head sadly, but a sudden thought occurred to her. 'Ryoga always gets lost and ends up here. I can always talk to him when that happens.' Pleased that she had found a solution to her dilemma, all the emotion that had fueled her bled away, leaving the chocolate-eyed girl feeling drained and exhausted. And it didn't help matters that she had hardly gotten any restful sleep last night. Now the only problem she wanted to be confronted with was how she was going to get to her bed.
Genma guffawed, obviously happy. "See that, Tendo? I told you! Akane refused to marry Ryoga! She and Ranma are practically a couple now! It won't be long before they get married!"
Akane tiredly thought that there was no logic at all behind that reasoning, but her father seemed to agree with the spectacled man. Together, they strolled into the house singing joyously, presumably to drink sake. Kasumi followed them with a slightly dazed smile. "Oh my," she said genially. And, uncharacteristically enough, Nabiki still wasn't there.
With a slight groan, Akane turned around and was about follow Kasumi and the others inside when a voice stopped her.
"Yo, 'kane?"
Akane turned around slowly. "Yeah?"
"Hey, you seem kinda tired. Why? It's not like you were fighting Ryoga or nothin'. I usually do that." Ranma laughed shortly; the sound was forced, and had no humor within it.
Akane rolled her eyes mentally. Sure, she knew shouldn't expect anything less--well, more--from Ranma, but she had been hoping that he would actually say something intelligent for once. Starting to head off to into the house to her room, she halted once more when Ranma stopped her another time; this time Akane sensed something behind her shoulder. She turned her head around the tiniest bit, and saw that his hand was uselessly stretched out, perhaps to rest on her shoulder or something. "What, Ranma?" she asked lightly, but stared pointedly at the hand.
"I, uh, yeah," he said smartly, the offending hand quickly dashing behind his head to rest on his black hair confusedly.
'Dolt.' Akane sighed mentally. Her moments with Ranma were always like this- -coming so close, and then... then being pushed away again. And the most frustrating part was how he angered her yet made her feel so warm and content at the same time.
She was about to let another sigh come out for the entire world to hear when Ranma spoke for the third time. "Um, ya know...." He stopped again, much to Akane's extreme yet half-hearted annoyance.
Miffed, Akane stated--dully, with none of her usual temper-- "Ranma, if you want to say something, say it. I'm tired and I want to sleep."
"Uh...." Somewhat put out, Ranma hesitated, and finally said something that made sense. "Um, why did you, you know, say no?" He rushed the last bit of the sentence, obviously embarrassed. Akane could already see a light patch of red spread across both his cheeks.
Seeing Ranma blush was not something Akane was used to seeing. Sure, it happened almost all the time, but it still surprised her....
The petite girl couldn't help but wonder what had prompted such a question. Didn't she tell him yesterday? Why was he asking again? 'Oh well. Might as well tell him again.'
She gave him a wane smile, the second one today. "Ranma, you know. I told you yesterday, and the reason is still the same. I like him like a br-- "
Startled for a moment, she stopped. The heat from Ranma's blush was enough to give her sunburn. He was the color of his favorite shirt, and turning redder if possible. 'Ranma's normally not like this--if you could ever call him normal-- ' she grumbled, '--so what's eating him today?'
"Well, um, thanks. I... just wanted to know again. Just to make sure." Ranma continued to rub his unruly hair in an embarrassed sort of way. Akane smiled at him--not a weak smile, but a real smile, the kind that she wanted to show Ranma all the time instead of just occasionally. 'Whenever he does stuff like that, it's so funny....' She chuckled a little to herself, but her smile never once faded.
And she could have sworn that Ranma had skipped a breath. 'No, probably not. Just the delusions of an exhausted, high-school girl.' Akane just realized that she had that smile aimed at him for more than ten seconds, and blushed slightly. 'How embarrassing...! My face just froze in that smile!' So to save the situation, she babbled out the first thing that came to her mind. Unfortunately, she asked Ranma to come with her to the koi pond so they could talk. 'Akane, you dolt! You look so stupid right now!'
And it didn't help matters that Ranma agreed--with a smile of his own. Her heart fluttered like a bird greeting the first rays of sunlight, but she quelled the feeling by resolutely telling herself that this was just Ranma. Rude, annoying, stubborn, stupid Ranma. 'The same Ranma who calls me a macho chick. The same Ranma who calls me a gorilla. The same Ranma who never fails to rescue me....' Her inner-self snickered at her thought, but made no other comment.
The short-haired girl led the way to a place next to the pond hidden from the house by overgrown bushes. She plopped herself onto the ground as her legs started to sway. Hardly noticeable, even by herself. 'So of course Ranma hasn't noticed... just like he never notices the way I....' She shook her head, and proceeded to industriously pull off her shoes and socks. She dipped her weary feet into the pond, and relished the feel of the cool water gently rippling off her ankles. Her sudden movements frightened away the fish that were closest to them, and they swam away rapidly, the sun glinting off their red and silver scales. Her soft eyes followed the startled fish until they went deeper into the pond. She dared a glance back at Ranma, crouching beside her, who only was watching her soak her feet in the water wistfully. "I wish I could do that too," he sighed, "but I'd turn into a girl." Unable to think of a suitable response that wasn't insulting, Akane started to swish her legs back and forth in the pond's cool water.
"So," Ranma said, attempting to break the long and uncomfortable silence. "So, why did you call me here?"
She leaned back, looking into the nearly cloudless sky. It was a vibrant blue that seemed full of life, and despite the few clouds that roamed it restlessly, it was still beautiful. "Dunno. Just... oh, I don't know."
"Oh." She turned around to glance at him. He was gazing at the grass below him, not wanting to meet her eyes.
She sighed deeply, and went back to looking at the pond. Her conversations with Ranma were always like this. They'd have so many chances, but.... 'We just mess them up.' Uncomfortable thoughts, an uncomfortable silence, Akane had a sudden urge to say something to make all of them go away.
"I used to love it here at the koi pond," Akane said softly, not really thinking. "It was always so peaceful, so calm...." 'Like my life was before I met you, Ranma....'
"Until I came and ruined it, huh?" he replied, a bit bitterly, echoing her thoughts.
She made no reply. 'My life was ordered and calm, everything nearly perfect, except for a few things. Those boys chased me when I didn't want them to, Dr. Tofu liked--no, he loved! --Kasumi instead of me, Kuno always was trying to win a date with me.'
"Now, Pop and I are always falling in it, turning into our cursed forms in it, and generally messing it up."
'Then you and your father came. I'm suddenly told that I have a fiancé that I don't even know, and that we are going to be married. And then all these people showed up, all of them wanting one of two things: you or me. Actually one of three--some wanted one of us dead. That chaos... let's just say that it took a while to get used to. But... but some of the things that flawed my life... some things stopped when you came, like the boys chasing me, my crush on Dr. Tofu.... And some things, you helped me with, like dealing with Kuno. I'm sorry that I always yelled at you whenever you did help me.... I just never noticed that before.... In fact, I'm sorry that I yell at you at all....' Akane's thoughtful silence was heavy, weighing down on both of them.
"Look, Akane, I... I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the craziness I cause just by being here. I'm sorry for everything, Akane."
Akane looked back at him, her mouth slightly agape, in shock at the complete, sincere, and obviously painful apology she had just received. He looked dispirited, as if all the fire had been snuffed out of him. She had rarely ever seen him like that before, and seeing him like that now was heart-breaking. 'But... Ranma... I'm glad that you came into my life. Before you came, it was hollow. It was just gray, though at the time it had seemed wonderful. But now... now that I see how vibrant and colorful life with you is like, I never want to go back to the calm and order. Ranma....'
"Ranma...." The words fell from her mouth like stones into a pond. "Ranma, I don't mind the insanity you brought into my life. Just having you in my life is worth it."
Akane's mind suddenly blanked. 'No! What did I just say?! That sounded so stupid! Ranma's going to laugh at me, and then go pick Shampoo or Ukyo!' Her mind sprang back to life. 'Wait... what I just said... do I really love him?' And her heart replied with the most pleasant sensation she had ever felt in her entire life. 'Yes. Yes, you do!'
She blushed lightly, and tried to cover it by staring determinedly at her feet swishing hurriedly in the water, causing even more ripples. She didn't want to look at him, didn't want to see the mockery in his face, or the shock, or--worst of all--the disgust.
However Ranma had other ideas. One of his calloused thumbs found a place under her dainty chin, and turned her face towards him. And Akane could have cried at what she saw.
Surprise, and then, incredulous joy.
"D'you... d'you really mean that?"
She nodded her head. A shaky smile was on her face, and a few warm tears of happiness slid down her smooth cheeks.
Ranma gently cupped her face in one rough hand, and softly wiped away her tears with the other. "C'mon, don't cry now. Not when we're both so happy...."
Completely losing control of herself, she flung her arms around his neck and held him tightly, crying into his red shirt. He was surprised, but he embraced her back and held her close.
She couldn't comprehend how joyful she was, didn't realize how much she had wanted to get that out until now. At that moment, there was only her, Ranma, and the gentle rippling of the water against the edges of the koi pond.
When the black-haired girl was done crying herself out, she sat back on her haunches, blushing. Ranma looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face, and moved a little closer, with one arm stretched towards her. She moved to him as well, and they met with a kiss. At first, she was unaware of anything other than two things: one, that they were actually kissing without any wayward fiancés or exultant fathers barging in, and two, that the expression on his face was unquestionably love.
But then, when she melted into the kiss, she felt as if bright lights were going off all around them. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she was conscious only of the beating of both their hearts in time with each other. Once the kiss was finished, however--she realized something.
That there was another subtle sound during it, a sort of clicking. And that the lights weren't surrounding them, but coming from the direction opposite of the house. And that Ranma was staring at someplace behind her with an expression of disbelief. Akane turned around to see what he was looking at, and was just as surprised as Ranma was.
"Nabiki?!" they sputtered together.
"Yup, it's me," she said cheerily from behind another clump of vegetation, waving her camera around for emphasis. "And as you can see, I've brought some friends!" She gestured behind her, and all at once the entire student body of Furinkan High leaped up, covered in a stunned silence. How they all managed to fit in her yard, Akane had no idea, but she was filled with outrage.
"Nabiki, you, you, you--"
"Cheer up, Akane!" she said with a smirk. "I've earned enough money with this to send us all to college two times over!"
Akane was about to shout something angrily when Ranma interrupted. "Yo, Nabiki, where's Kuno? And where's Shampoo, and Cologne, and everyone else who's tried to kill us?"
"For once, Saotome, I decided to be nice to you. I spared letting them know." Nabiki would have said more, but the crowd drowned her out with shouts.
"Saotome, I didn't know you had it in you!"
"Wish I had a guy like that...."
"Akane! No! How could you pick Saotome?!"
"Why didn't you tell us before, man?!"
"Akane! Why didn't you say anything to us?"
"Ranma!"
"Akane!"
Akane clapped her hands to her ears, wanting desperately to be alone with Ranma again. And for once Ranma seemed to have noticed. He jumped to his feet, scooped Akane off, and before anyone knew what was happening, ran off with her in his strong arms, and seemed to leap into the sky, and landed on the rooftops. And he kept going. "Ranma, where are you going?" Akane asked, a little frantic.
"I dunno," Ranma replied honestly. "But don't worry, we'll be fine. I won't let you fall."
"I wasn't worried about that," Akane said softly. "I trust you with my life."
'After all, I've trusted you with my heart for this long....'
And together they ran. Where they were headed, they didn't know. But they would come back.
After a while.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
*surveys work* Hey, not too bad if I do say so myself! Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Early June, my parents told me I had to study ("In a year you'll be going to highschool where everyone is focused on college. We want you to have a head start." Feh, good intentions....), disconnected my computer, and stashed it in the basement. I've finally gotten it back! *hugs computer* I've been so out of things.... Oh well! At least it's finally finished (though it was finished in late May... I was just waiting for the &!@$# internet to come back up. I hate Comcast....).
I don't think I'll ever write a multi-chapter story again. It took so long with the *&$!# internet! One shots, those are much better, because there is no wondering what will happen next. And I've had many ideas for those! *pulls out piece of much-wrinkled paper and waves it enthusiastically* Just have to copy and save it on the computer! The pencil is starting to get faded and illegible....
Well, I am going to touch up all the chapters and fix things! My stupid Microsoft Word Program does things that I hadn't thought would affect it.... Also, I think I'll write another chapter, since a few have requested it, closing the Ryoga/Ukyo story. Well, off to work again.